Going forward, the M3 will hopefully be safer for cyclists thanks to an awareness ride and safety demonstration held recently in Westlake.
On Saturday 29 October, the Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN), a public benefit organisation (PBO); and On Bike, a bicycle shop, hosted a safe cycling awareness event in the suburb.
Carolynne Franklin, councillor for Ward 71, who briefly tested out her cycling legs (after a hiatus of 45 years), says this was the second time the awareness ride had been held.
“Over the past few years, there were some cycling deaths on the M3 just because there wasn’t any safety awareness within the cycling fraternity and many of the residents need to use their bicycles to get to work. So it was really important that we educate people, give them helmets, give them safety jackets, so that when they do ride early in the morning and come back from work late at night, at least they have some high visibility clothing and a new helmet.”
Franklin says the first event held last year proved incredibly successful.
“We haven’t had, touch wood, any cycling deaths since then. That is why we are doing it again because so many more people have moved into the neighbourhood.”
Going the extra mile, so to speak, was Rob Quintas, the City of Cape Town’s Mayco member for Transport, who joined the cyclists in their ride through Westlake. Quantas says there’s also a great need to educate motorists about safety for cyclists.
“Conflict between motorists and cyclists can be very dangerous. Education is required for both the cycling fraternity in terms of road usage, and, of course, motorists in terms of awareness of cyclists on the road.”
Also setting out on the safety ride were youths from the Trail Ancestors Academy. Meshack Nchupetsang, the owner of On Bike, began the youth outreach programme last year January.
“We had just gone through Covid and there was much distress in the community, the kids were not being looked after. They were just roaming the streets with nothing to do and they ended up being exposed to socioeconomic ills,” says Nchupetsan.
The bicycle shop is one of BEN’s community partners.
These centres are managed by community-based entrepreneurs, who receive bikes from BEN and distribute them into their communities.
BEN, in turn, receives the bikes from a number of international donor agencies. Through these partnerships, the PBO aims to promote sustainable social and economic empowerment.
